The bitter fallout from Eagles star Andrew Gaff's punch that broke the jaw of young Docker Andrew Brayshaw threatens to rear its ugly head again as the rival WA football clubs prepare to face off in the 50th Western Derby on July 6.
Footage uploaded to West Coast's official Instagram account this week showed Gaff, who was suspended for eight matches after his strike on the then-rookie, sledged by premiership ruckman Nathan Vardy, who shouted Brayshaw's name repeatedly as his teammate lined up for goal in a post-training prank for club players who had had recent birthdays.
Andrew Gaff and Andrew Brayshaw shakes hands in a 2019 pre-season match … their first clash since the incident.
Gaff ultimately missed the club's shock 2018 AFL Grand Final triumph due to his punch to the face of the Dockers rookie in the round 20 clash but has on several occasions since shown public remorse and privately met the family of Brayshaw, whose brother Hamish, 21, happens to be on West Coast's list, while his older brother Angus, 23, is a midfield star for Melbourne.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was understandably furious at the incident that left relations between the cross-town rivals at new lows and left the club's no.2 draft pick sidelined for the rest of 2018 as he recovered from a broken jaw and three smashed teeth.
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Lyon, who has Fremantle right on West Coast's tail in sixth spot on the AFL ladder and primed for a first finals berth since 2015, again expressed disappointment at the actions of the reigning premiers in his weekly segment on Seven News on Tuesday night.
"Ive been made aware of it and Ive heard the video," he told sports presenter Basil Zempilas.
"In light of how serious that injury was, and the incident, it's really disappointing.
"But Ill leave that with West Coast."
Lyon and the club had played crucial roles after the incident last year to mend relations between Gaff and Brayshaw, whose father Mark worked for the Dockers and played for Claremont and North Melbourne, where he is now a board member, while the teenager's uncle James is a prominent TV sports broadcaster and ex-Kangaroos chairman.
West Coast has since removed the video of the incident as several prominent journalists and social media users on Tuesday criticised the club for promoting it and Vardy for his distasteful sledge.
The 27-year-old premiership ruckman, who has not reached his same highs of 2018, was in the spotlight in round nine and defended by Eagles coach Adam Simpson for an equally unsavoury spray towards Demons star Max Gawn after teammate Liam Ryan soared for a screamer that floored the big ruckman at Optus Stadium.
The post-training footage aired by West Coast this week showed Gaff spinning himself around multiple times before teammates attempt to deter him as he lined up 40m straight in front of goal, with several jeering him after he missed by a long margin, before making amends after no.1 ruckman Nic Naitanui handed him a footy for another try.
The Victorian recruit surprised many West Coast fans and teammates by re-signing with the club in the off-season despite his premiership heartache, intense national scrutiny from his uncharacteristic strike on Brayshaw anRead More – Source
The bitter fallout from Eagles star Andrew Gaff's punch that broke the jaw of young Docker Andrew Brayshaw threatens to rear its ugly head again as the rival WA football clubs prepare to face off in the 50th Western Derby on July 6.
Footage uploaded to West Coast's official Instagram account this week showed Gaff, who was suspended for eight matches after his strike on the then-rookie, sledged by premiership ruckman Nathan Vardy, who shouted Brayshaw's name repeatedly as his teammate lined up for goal in a post-training prank for club players who had had recent birthdays.
Andrew Gaff and Andrew Brayshaw shakes hands in a 2019 pre-season match … their first clash since the incident.
Gaff ultimately missed the club's shock 2018 AFL Grand Final triumph due to his punch to the face of the Dockers rookie in the round 20 clash but has on several occasions since shown public remorse and privately met the family of Brayshaw, whose brother Hamish, 21, happens to be on West Coast's list, while his older brother Angus, 23, is a midfield star for Melbourne.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was understandably furious at the incident that left relations between the cross-town rivals at new lows and left the club's no.2 draft pick sidelined for the rest of 2018 as he recovered from a broken jaw and three smashed teeth.
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Lyon, who has Fremantle right on West Coast's tail in sixth spot on the AFL ladder and primed for a first finals berth since 2015, again expressed disappointment at the actions of the reigning premiers in his weekly segment on Seven News on Tuesday night.
"Ive been made aware of it and Ive heard the video," he told sports presenter Basil Zempilas.
"In light of how serious that injury was, and the incident, it's really disappointing.
"But Ill leave that with West Coast."
Lyon and the club had played crucial roles after the incident last year to mend relations between Gaff and Brayshaw, whose father Mark worked for the Dockers and played for Claremont and North Melbourne, where he is now a board member, while the teenager's uncle James is a prominent TV sports broadcaster and ex-Kangaroos chairman.
West Coast has since removed the video of the incident as several prominent journalists and social media users on Tuesday criticised the club for promoting it and Vardy for his distasteful sledge.
The 27-year-old premiership ruckman, who has not reached his same highs of 2018, was in the spotlight in round nine and defended by Eagles coach Adam Simpson for an equally unsavoury spray towards Demons star Max Gawn after teammate Liam Ryan soared for a screamer that floored the big ruckman at Optus Stadium.
The post-training footage aired by West Coast this week showed Gaff spinning himself around multiple times before teammates attempt to deter him as he lined up 40m straight in front of goal, with several jeering him after he missed by a long margin, before making amends after no.1 ruckman Nic Naitanui handed him a footy for another try.
The Victorian recruit surprised many West Coast fans and teammates by re-signing with the club in the off-season despite his premiership heartache, intense national scrutiny from his uncharacteristic strike on Brayshaw anRead More – Source
